Bob Sanders Player Bio/Best Cards

Hard-hitting, fast, determined, and all over the field are just a few things I think of when I think about the Indianapolis Colts Safety Bob Sanders.

Emerging into the NFL in 2004, Sanders has quietly crept his way up to being considered one of the best safeties and hardest hitters in the league.

Demond “Bob” Sanders was born on February 24, 1981 in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was son to Marion and Jean Sanders. He attended Cathedral Preparatory School in the years of 1996-2000. At Cathedral Prep, Sanders excelled at running back and safety. As a junior, he was named third-team all state and later first-team all state as a senior. In his senior season, he rushed for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Sanders did not have many offers to colleges due to his lack of size but he accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Iowa. In his freshman year, he played sparingly, playing the final four games of the season. However, he finished with 52 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.

In Sanders’ sophomore season, he stated 11 games for the Hawkeyes. He led the team in tackles with 122, 78 of which were solo tackles. He also had six tackles for loss, one sack, twelve passes defended, four interceptions, and one forced fumble. He had a career-high 25 tackles against Indiana. He also won the Big-Ten Player of the Week award along with the Bronko Nagurski award.

Sanders started all 12 games in is junior season. He helped lead the Hawkeyes to their first undefeated conference season in 80 years. He had 102 tackles, 68 being solo tackles, four forced fumbles, 12 passes defended, two interceptions, one sack, one fumble recovery, and one blocked field goal which sealed a win against Purdue. Sanders was named first team All-Big Ten and fourth team All-American.

As a senior, Sanders was unable to start all 12 games due to a foot injury, but he still ended the season with 72 tackles, 47 of which were solo tackles. He also had 5.5 tackles for a loss, six forced fumbles, five passes defended, and one interception. Sanders also got his first career defensive touchdown against Illinois on a fumble recovery. Sanders was named second team All-American by the AP and was named to the first team All-Big Ten. He was the defensive captain and won defensive MVP.

Sanders finished his college career with a total of 348 tackles, 235 solo tackles, four sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, six pressures, four fumble recoveries, 30 passes defended, seven interceptions, one blocked kick, and a school record 13 forced fumbles.

Sanders was drafted in the second round (44th pick overall) by the Indianapolis Colts. In his rookie season, he started four of his six games played. He was on the injury list for most of his rookie season with knee and foot injuries but finished the season with 39 total tackles, 26 solo tackles, one pass defended, and two fumble recoveries. He also played special teams and he had 10 tackles, 9 of which were solo, and a fumble recovery.

After a disappointing rookie season, Sanders came out in his second season ready to play. He started the first 14 games of the season and racked up 118 total tackles, 71 solo tackles, four passes defended, one forced fumble, and one interception. His 118 tackles rank second all time in team history. Sanders also earned a trip to Hawaii to play in the NFL Pro Bowl. In a post season loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sanders had nine tackles, seven solo, and one pass defended.

Sanders’ third year in the league was very disappointing as he had to battle with a knee injury that kept him out for 12 of the 16 regular season games. In the four games he was able to play in, he piled up 30 tackles, 20 of which were solo, one forced fumble, one interception, and one pass defended. Though not being able to play many games in the regular season, Sanders was healthy enough to play in all four of the Colts playoff games. He had a total of 22 tackles, 17 solo tackles, one forced fumble, two interceptions, and four passes defended. Sanders made a key interception in the Super Bowl to help close out the game and earn the Colts a victory against the Chicago Bears.

After an injury filled third season in the NFL, Sanders was able to bounce back in the 2007-2008 season and earned another selection to the Pro Bowl. He finished the season with 132 total tackles, 74 solo tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions for a total of 32 yards, and six passes defended.

Best RC’s and autos
Though Sanders does not have many rookie cards or autos out, his cards are extremely hard to get and are very sought after. If you are looking to pick up a few Sanders cards, here is a list of some of his better ones out there:

Great great read. As I am a HUGE Bob Sanders fan I loved reading what other fans had to say about him. He’s simply amazing, that man with such a small frame taking down this bigger men who are running with a full head of steam and Bob just sends them back. This article really informed me and what cards I should pick up in the future. Thanks Jdio!